by Lynne Robson
“Yes, Lady Catherine, we would love to see this beautiful home of yours. The grounds here at Rosings are marvellous and I imagine in the summer months appear even more beautiful.” Elizabeth enthusiastically replied.
After a short tour around the ground floor of the house, they came to a room with a big painting illustrating a scene of a hunting party with so many dead animals in it, that both Elizabeth and Charlotte briefly winced.
Lady Catherine noticed their appalled expressions and said, “I know the picture is terrible, but it belonged to my late husband’s father. He had it painted just after a large hunting party to celebrate the birth of his son, my husband. The original painting was a lot smaller, but because my father-in-law liked it so much, he then decided to have this larger one painted.
I think it is hideous, so I am having it dismantled and sent to the Family-hunting lodge in Scotland where it was originally painted. Last summer, I commissioned a lovely landscape of the formal gardens and maze at the front of the Manor house. As you mentioned and presumed earlier, the gardens here are beautiful during the summer months, especially the maze, I can hardly wait to see the painting, it should finally arrive tomorrow. Then you will be able to see from the painting how beautiful the flower gardens and maze are.”
“I will look forward to seeing it Lady Catherine,” said Elizabeth enthusiastically.
“I am holding a soiree, on Wednesday, in honour of the new painting. My friends from our neighbouring estates will be coming. I would be happy if you all could come, I hope you don’t mind the short notice,” Lady Catherine asked them.
“Of course not, I think that I speak for Maria, Lizzy and myself when I say that we would love to come,” Charlotte replied looking at Maria and Elizabeth for their approval, which was given immediately.
Just then, the butler arrived announcing dinner was ready to be served, and the party then made their way back to the dining parlour still discussing the painting that was to arrive the next day.
The next day Sir William Lucas returned to his home Lucas Lodge with some helpful advice from Lady Catherine’s steward. Charlotte and Maria were sad to see their father go but looked forward to his return in six weeks time when he was to take Elizabeth and Maria back home to Hertfordshire.
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At the soiree the following Wednesday both Elizabeth and Charlotte had a wonderful time, even Maria, who was extremely shy, admitted that she too had enjoyed the evening. Many of Lady Catherine’s acquaintances came; Elizabeth was surprisingly taken around and introduced to many noble ladies of the country, as though she was one of Lady Catherine’s own nieces. Lady Catherine was very proud of her new painting, everyone who saw it loved it, informing her Ladyship how much it showed Rosings at its best.
The painting showed the formal gardens at the front of the house and part of the maze, which was towards the right side of the house, looking glorious in full bloom. Lady Catherine loved how the painting showed her home in all its glory and because of this she gave it, pride of place in her newly decorated yellow drawing room.
Chapter Three
As was normal for Elizabeth each morning, she went for her usual walk, with eagerness wanting to see the new growth as she explored groves, one morning about a week after she had arrived at Hunsford she came across Lady Catherine doing the same.
“Hello, my dear, it is such a wonderful morning that I could not wait to get out and about. I see that you had the same idea as well. Would you like me to show you the grounds or do you wish to carry on, exploring on your own?”
“I would love your company, Lady Catherine. The groves I have seen so far during my morning walks are so beautiful for this time of year. I have been enjoying watching the new growth appear on the trees and on the ground, I notice over there near the old oak, an area in which bluebells are just in bloom and snowdrops are just starting to grow,” Elizabeth replied happily. “Please Lady Catherine will you call me by my given name, like all my friends do.”
“Why thank you Elizabeth, I am glad that you enjoy your walks as much as I do. There is nothing so good for you as a nice long walk I always say,” her ladyship answered. “May I say that you are very much like your father, Elizabeth?”
“You know my father?” Elizabeth said in surprise.
“I have known your father since he was a young man; he went to Eton with my brother Edward who is now the Earl of Matlock. Thomas regularly came to visit us when I was younger. How is he? Who is your mother? Did he marry Frances Gardiner? I know he was courting her when I last saw him.”
“I did not know he knew the Earl and yourself Lady Catherine; my father speaks little of his past. And yes he did marry Frances Gardiner.”
“How is your aunt, Lady Shrewsbury? Does she have any children?” Lady Catherine asked as they continued to walk through the grove.
“No, in the past, my aunt Sophia had not been fortunate to have children. She has suffered several miscarriages unfortunately. Just before we came here, my father had received a letter from my aunt saying that she is now nearing her confinement and her physician says all is well. She has spent most of her time in bed resting to insure that she will carry this child to term. I do hope that she manages it this time, because she has been so sad for the last few years.”
As they walked, Elizabeth could see some of the farmland attached to Rosings with cows and sheep out in the pasture. It was a lovely vista to look upon from their vantage point. Her ladyship turned to Elizabeth saying,
“Well I am happy to hear that she is managing better with this child so far. Pray let us hope the child is born healthy and dare I say a boy so that he will inherit both your father’s and his father’s estates. I was surprised to hear about the entail wherein Mr. Collins would be the recipient if your father passed away. I must say that I do not agree with this business of entails. My daughter Anne would have inherited Rosings but since her unfortunate death, I have been pondering who should be my heir. I have three nephews; one I think you know is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, then there is, Viscount Andrew Fitzwilliam, and his younger brother, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.”
Lady Catherine looked thoughtfully across the fields then continued saying:
“William, has sadly come into his inheritance of the vast Pemberley Estates, and became guardian to his younger sister, due to losing first his mother and then five years ago his father. Of course, the Viscount will inherit the Earl’s seat and lands; therefore, I will leave Rosings to the Richard. Richard of course is my favourite, ever since he was a young boy. He has always been very kind, gentle sort of person, whenever he came to Rosings he used spend time with Anne, reading to her and talking to her, especially whenever she was ill. He loved to make her smile. As you may have heard my daughter was ill most of her short life.”
“Yes, Lady Catherine I was sorry to hear about your daughter, it must have been very hard to lose her at such a young age,” Elizabeth said.
“Yes it was, but that was over four years ago now, I try to remember the good times we had while she was alive. By the by, two of my nephews are coming to visit me next week, Mr. Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam along with my niece Georgiana,” Lady Catherine said happily.
“Mr. Darcy, is coming here?” Elizabeth asked looking and sounding obviously displeased.
Lady Catherine noticed the displeasure in her voice and asked; “I understand from Mrs. Collins that my nephew William made a very bad impression on both you and the society in Meryton. Please tell me your sincere opinion of him.”
“Pray forgive me Lady Catherine, but I must be honest with you,” Elizabeth replied. “I did not like him at all; he seemed to be above our society and looked down on us all the time. In addition, when we first met him at the Meryton Assembly, he made a very hurtful statement about me that I could not help overhearing.”
“What did my nephew say?” Lady Catherine asked.
“He said, ‘she is tolerable but not handsome to tempt me’!”
Lady Cathe
rine smiled, saying, “Oh, dear, that was extremely rude of him. What did you do?”
“I walked past him, with my head held high and told Charlotte what he said about me. We had a good laugh at his expense, making light his ridiculous comment, but my feelings were still hurt.”
“Good for you, It sounds like he needs a lesson or two in manners,” laughed Lady Catherine.
“Shortly after that incident, I ended up staying with him, Mr. Bingley, and his sisters at Netherfield estate for four days whilst my sister Jane was ill. I found him and Mr. Bingley’s sisters to be intolerable and uncivil to me; so much so, I could not wait to get home.”
“I have heard from many of my friends that Mr. Bingley’s sisters are obnoxious. Even William only puts up with them because of his friend.”
Elizabeth continued saying, “As Charlotte probably already told you the Derbyshire Militia are encamped just outside Meryton. A few days after we left Netherfield, my sisters and I went into Meryton to visit my aunt Phillips. Whilst in Meryton we met some of the officers, and a new young officer named Mr. Wickham, he told me of his unfortunate dealings with Mr. Darcy, I cannot believe that he would be so cruel to Mr. Wickham and over set his father’s will.”
“YOU MET WICKHAM!!!!” Lady Catherine spat “ Please, please Elizabeth do not believe what that scoundrel has to say, do not get attached to him. He is a rake and a cad of the worst order.”
After Lady Catherine screamed out this surprising information about Wickham, she could not help but see that Elizabeth’s face had turned quite red and that she was extremely upset.
“Forgive me for shouting my dear, but knowing what that scoundrel had done to the family makes me so angry. May I tell you the true story of what really happened between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham?”
“Lady Catherine, when Mr. Wickham told me his story there was truth in all his looks. I cannot believe he would make something as bad as what he told me up,” Elizabeth replied her shaky voice, showing how upset she truly was.
“Remember Elizabeth, there are two sides to every story, and since I now know you have heard his side of the story, I would like you to hear the other.”
“Err… yes, of course… Lady Catherine I would like to hear both sides of this story,” Elizabeth, said somewhat perturbed.
Lady Catherine then proceeded to tell Elizabeth the full story of Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy:
“Mr. Wickham was the son of the late Mr. Darcys Steward, a very respectable man. However, when Mr. Wickham senior became very ill, George Darcy promised that he would see that his son was well looked after. He provided him with a gentleman’s education and that was when William and many others started to notice a change in him. He started mixing with some terrible company, which encouraged him to gamble, and other things that a young gentleman should not have been doing. William paid his debts more times than I care to imagine and kept this information away from his father, as he was very ill at the time.
Once they had finished at Cambridge, Mr. Wickham went to live in London. A few months after George Darcy’s death, he visited William explaining that he did not want to be a cleric and wanted to study law. Therefore, William gave him three thousand pounds in lieu of the living and that was in addition to his inheritance of one thousand from George Darcy. We had all hoped it would be the last we saw of him but three years later, Mr. Wickham was back begging for the living, which had then come vacant. He told us that his study of the law had not been profitable - you must agree that four thousand pounds was enough to set him up as a partner in a respectable solicitor’s office. When this request was of course refused, he became extremely angry and he threatened to get revenge on William, which he almost accomplished. I must ask you for your secrecy on this part as it involves my niece…
…. So you see, my dear, this young man is not to be trusted, I have had previous knowledge of this information since as I am one of the executors of George Darcy’s will along with Colonel Fitzwilliam. Georgiana still has not recovered from Mr. Wickham’s deceit. Furthermore, I can also tell you that Mr. Wickham seduced two other young girls in Lambton. One of the girls was only 13 years old and lost her life in childbirth, the other had a miscarriage and is now working at the hunting lodge in Scotland.”
“Oh my goodness, I cannot believe that Mr Wickham would bend the truth like that. He seems such a nice young man,” Elizabeth said very distressed. “But now I think about it, why would he tell me, a total stranger all about his passed, I do not understand. I know my father did not believe him and told me to be careful.”
“I can understand how you feel Elizabeth, it must come as a shock to find out the truth about Mr Wickham.”
“I can see from what you have told me that Mr. Wickham is not the sort of person he represents himself as being. When he told me about himself and Mr. Darcy it only seemed to confirm what many others and I had come to believe about Mr. Darcy. One thing he did say was as he respected the elder Mr. Darcy, and would not spread the story around, although he soon spread his story around after Mr. Darcy had left the neighbourhood.”
“My dear Elizabeth, I would further advise you regarding your younger sisters. Inform your father to keep them away from Mr. Wickham; he seems to like young girls especially. In fact, I think I will write to your father myself, explaining to him all the facts I know about Mr. Wickham,” said Lady Catherine thoughtfully. “I will trust in your father’s discretion not to reveal any information that would ruin Georgiana’s reputation in society. I believe it is very important that your family know the whole truth about Mr. Wickham especially his despicable character.”
Elizabeth was thoughtful for a few minutes about the actions of her younger sisters then added, “I have a younger sister Lydia, who is 15. She is very fond Mr. Wickham and many of other soldiers in the militia. I would be happy for you to write to my father, and then he will know what actions to take, so that my younger sisters will be kept safe from Mr. Wickham. In addition, I must add that when I left home, Mr. Wickham recently became engaged to a young heiress called Miss King. After hearing your explanation of Mr. Wickham’s despicable character, I do sincerely hope her uncle does not approve of the engagement and takes her away.”
“Yes indeed,” Lady Catherine exclaimed, “let us hope so.”
They came across a beautiful gazebo, which was not far off the Manor House; it was very ornate, but very comfortable. It looked over the formal gardens at the very front of the Manor.
Trying to take her mind off all the terrible things she had heard Elizabeth said, “This is lovely Lady Catherine. It would be just nice to sit out and read a book in here, in the summer.”
“ Yes it is my dear,” said Lady Catherine. Looking towards the gazebo, she then continued,
“I hope that you will now be able to see my nephew in a new light. I can tell you that he is quite shy and reserved with people he does not know. It takes him a long time until he feels comfortable in social settings. Many people think his reserve is arrogance, as you have observed yourself, when really he is unsure of what to say. It is not only Meryton’s society, but also many members of the ton who feel he has snubbed them as well. Yet, he is still one of the most sought after bachelors because of his wealth and position. I know he says that he will not marry for money or position, but rather he must love the person he marries. He looks after those he cares about, especially his sister, and feels he has let them down if or when things go wrong.”
Both her ladyship and Elizabeth then sat down on the bench inside the gazebo, looking across at the gardens.
Elizabeth then said to ladyship “Thank you, Lady Catherine, for telling me the truth about Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. I can see from everything you have told me, that he is a kind and caring person, especially to those close to him. I am glad to hear that he is not the self-centred person I was led to believe. When do you expect your nephews to arrive?”
“I expect them to arrive this coming Saturday. Then on the Easter Saturday, that is two weeks afte
r the arrival of my nephews and niece, is the Ball we spoke of. Elizabeth, I hope that you will attend the ball with Maria and Charlotte. To make sure you all enjoy the evening, I will give Mr. Collins the honour escorting guests to see the new painting of Rosings in the yellow drawing room.”
